prompts { 2025 } fictober

[iluvroadrunner6]

We're gonna do this again just to keep motivating me to write, please submit your requests on the thread below.



PROMPTS:
1. “That was good work.”
2. “It’s been a long time.”
3. “I know you better.”
4. “No, we’re not doing that.”
5. “It’s a new day, let’s go.”
6. “I’m not giving up.”
7. “Follow me if you want to live.”
8. “Are we happy?”
9. “Don’t listen to me, listen to them.”
10. “Is this normal?”
11. “Well, that worked out great.”
12. “Did you hear that?”
13. “That’s not the point.”
14. “Did you stick to the plan?”
15. “Let’s try this.”
16. “No, I’m not okay.”
17. “Strangest thing I ever heard.”
18. “This is getting ridiculous.”
20. “I saw your eyes light up.”
21. “We’ve done worse.”
22. “Why are we doing this again?”
23. “We can fix this, I know we can.”
24. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
25. “It consumes me.”
26. “You were the first.”
27. “Let me remind you.”
28. “Just say what you want.”
29. “How did this happen?”
30. “I won’t let you down.”
31. “It’s always been you.”

Request plurk
Completed: 31/31
Word Count: 57,038

Comments

10/31 ~ it's always been you. ~ everyone lives ~ 1,395

[maleficum]

“Dave, if you keep staring at Elton like that, someone may get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, I don’t think he has the wrong idea.”

David can see the way Elton sits, ice cold and closed off from the rest of the group. He seems like he has it all together. Like this is absolutely what he wants, and he has no regrets. But David can also see how Elton doesn’t meet his eyes specifically, almost as though he knows he crossed a line and doesn’t want to confront it, which honestly doesn’t really do much for David.

He’s spent so much of his life around some of the worst people in existence. It’s caused him to have little respect for the wafflers, the ones who are putting up a façade while regretting their decisions. Either commit or don’t, but don’t waste his time with guilt.

Ezra sighs as he sits next to him, shoulder to shoulder. It’s one of the few times they’ve been allowed to be alone together since Ezra was brought back to headquarters yesterday. The Inner Circle suspects so they’re being kept apart unless they’re in public together. They’re not even allowing Ezra to slip into his dreams.

Each piece only serves to make him angrier, and the fact that someone who apparently once cared for Ezra is the one who put him back here, never mind that was the plan anyway, makes it worse.

Elton eventually meets his stare, raising an eyebrow in David’s direction. David doesn’t flinch, having been trained from a young age not to, and the stand-off holds until Elton eventually caves, allowing his attention to be drawn by Sierra’s father. Whatever Harper is up to, David doesn’t want to know, but he watches anyway.

“I don’t think staring at him actually solves anything,” Ezra points out as Elton exits with Harper, and they have the room to themselves again, save for their monitor across the room.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” David glances down at his book. “Either way, I still may or may not kill him later.”

Ezra sighs. “I was coming back, anyway.”

“Yes. But he interrupted your coming back on our terms. And he conned you into it. I’m allowed to be annoyed.”

“More than I’m allowed to be annoyed?”

David exhales slowly before shrugging. “I don’t know.” He leans back in his seat, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I guess I’m not the one who has to marry him.” He almost feels bad for Max, if he didn’t think that Max could handle him.

Ezra smirks. “Are you thinking of reconsidering your options this close to the end?”

“Oh yeah. I only kept you around to keep my parents happy, clearly,” David says dryly, before turning to him with a smirk. “Because I’m a good son who always does what he’s told.”

“Child of the year, right here.” Ezra smirks as he leans in to kiss him. “I will let my lawyer know.”

David kisses him back with a small smile, before his father appears in the doorway and his face flattens, tucking away any of the happiness or positive feelings he might have been feeling. Probably best not to give his father something to poke at.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Think they’ll actually let us sleep in the same room tonight?”

David’s hopes aren’t high. They never are when it comes to his parents giving him what he wants. Instead, he sighs and nods. “I’ll see what I can do.”

* * * * *

“Do you actually realize what you signed up for?”

David has to wonder how much Elton’s been told. It’s probably not even anything close to the truth, if precedent is anything to go by with the Inner Circle. He assumes probably not, but always worth it to see, just in case.

Elton meets his eyes as they work over the preparations for the ascension ritual that will take place after the bonding rituals. There’s a moment of silence where David can tell the other man is weighing his answers.

“Do you actually care?”

David sets his jaw before looking down at the work in front of him again. “Honestly? No. In fact, part of me just wants to strangle you myself and get it over with.”

“So why don’t you?”

There’s something in Elton’s tone, something that resonates, even if he doesn’t want it to. “Because you’ll be dead soon enough, anyway. Seems like a waste of energy to me.” Elton doesn’t seem surprised by that. Which catches David’s interest more than anything else that’s come up regarding this man so far. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“My last name is Zhao.”

David lets that information hang, waiting for the other man to elaborate. “And?”

Elton snorts. “Colony witches. Clearly living up to their name. Steal their magic from everyone else but don’t give credit where credit’s due.” He shakes his head. “My mother used to lead a coven in Chicago. It went to shit when I was a kid, but before my grandmother died, she handled my education. This ritual is reminiscent of one of ours.” He then points to each of the ingredients. “A lot of these herbs are for transference. When mixed with blood, they can transfer consciousness, similar to a dream root. Mugwort, thyme, ginseng, all make sense. But there’s nothing to balance, to create boundaries. Help you maintain your sense of self. No yarrow. No nettle. Doing something like this without it is dangerous. Unless they don’t care about the person they’re doing it with.”

David nods slowly as he takes that in. “And you’re still here.”

Elton’s posture stoops some before he shrugs. “Not like I have much left to lose.”

It’s not the response David is expecting, but it strikes a chord. And he is already annoyed that Elton has him empathizing with him, so he just pushes through.

“Look, when this all goes down, you’re going to have to choose what side to be on. Whether or not you have anything to lose, make sure you choose the right one.”

And with that, he gathers what remains of the supplies and steps out of the room. He’ll leave Elton alone to rethink his options. He doesn’t know if they’ll be able to trust him to go along with the plan, or if he’ll just be another problem to worry about, but for now, he doesn’t care.

At least the other man wasn’t going in blind.

* * * * *

His parents cave the closer they get to the solstice. Maybe it’s because they figure one night will not give them enough time to really plan anything, but they’re allowed to sleep in the same room again, even if sleep is all they can really do. The Inner Circle keeps them moving, keeps them busy.

They have one small pocket of time left to them before the ceremony, where they’re getting into their tuxes for the evening, before they have to stand for their respective people. It feels like an odd sort of farce, but there’s nothing about this day that isn’t. At least he knows Sierra and Jaqueline will mean it.

“How’s my tie?” Ezra asks, turning to face his husband, and David reaches up to adjust it slightly before nodding.

“Perfect.”

Ezra nods as well, letting his hands come down and smooth over David’s in the lapel of his jacket. “We may not have another chance. I mean after this, this all goes into chaos and—”

David cuts him off, pushing up and leaning in to kiss him. If this is the last moment they’re going to get, he’s going to take advantage of it. Ezra kisses him back, holding him close, and eventually David pulls back, looking into his husband’s eyes.

“It’s always been you. So don’t fucking die.”

Ezra nods. “I’ll do my best. Don’t you die either.”

David nods, not making any promises that are beyond the realm of keeping. He considers, about to say something else when someone raps on the door and his father’s voice floats through the door.

“Boys, it’s time to get started.”

David sighs. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Let’s get this over with.”

If they’re lucky, maybe they’ll make it out of tonight alive. And if they don’t, at least they’ve said what they needed to say.